Samajwadi Party plans to field 100 Dalit, tribal candidates in UP assembly polls
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The Samajwadi Party (SP) is planning to field around 100 Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, including 14 candidates in general constituencies, as part of its strategy to strengthen its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) alliance.
According to party sources, the plan includes contesting all 84 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, both Scheduled Tribe seats, and around 14 general seats with Dalit candidates, subject to the availability of suitable nominees.
Party leaders said the move is aimed at expanding the SP's support beyond its traditional Yadav-Muslim base and attracting Dalit voters as the Bahujan Samaj Party's electoral influence declines.
"We are working on zeroing in on candidates from Dalit communities who can contest on general seats. While our target is to give 100 seats to the community, it will depend on suitable and strong candidates," a party source said.
The SP had fielded Dalit candidates in two general constituencies during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Awadhesh Prasad won from Faizabad, while Sunita Verma narrowly lost in Meerut.
Party leaders said the strategy is intended to project the SP as a party willing to provide Dalits greater political representation than the number of reserved constituencies.
The BSP, which once commanded a significant share of Dalit votes, won only one seat in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and failed to win any seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP and Congress have also intensified their outreach to Dalit voters ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
SP Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman expressed confidence that a significant section of Dalit voters would support the INDIA bloc, while party chief Akhilesh Yadav has urged voters not to back the BSP, arguing that a vote for the party would be wasted.